Arabic: An Essential Grammar

98

Chapter 16

Demonstrative, reflexive and

reciprocal pronouns

16.1 As in English, there are in Arabic two series of demonstrative

pronouns َأ ْس َما ُء  ِْلإ َشا َر ِة

asma ̄

u l-

isˇa ̄rati. Both of them have separate

masculine and feminine forms in the singular and dual (in the plural

there is no distinction between masculine and feminine forms). In the

singular and plural each series has only one form for all three cases, but

in the dual they are declined for two cases: nominative and accusative-

genitive:

this, this one

singular dual plural

masc. fem. masc. fem. masc. and fem.

Nom. ه َذا

ا

ه ِذ ِه

ا

ه َذا ِن

ا

ه ُؤ َلا ِء َها َتا ِن

ا

ha ̄d

̄

a ̄ ha ̄d

̄

ihi ha ̄d

̄

a ̄ni ha ̄ta ̄ni ha ̄

ula ̄

i

this (one) these two these (ones)

Acc. ه َذا

ا

ه ِذ ِه

ا

ه َذ ْي ِن

ا

ه ُؤ َلا ِء َها َت ْي ِن

ا

and ha ̄d

̄

a ̄ ha ̄d

̄

ihi ha ̄d

̄

ayni ha ̄tayni ha ̄

ula ̄

i

gen. this (one) these two these (ones)